“This is kind of a unique situation in that all of these guys are from one specific ensemble,” said Jeff Bailey, Nashville Symphony’s co-principal trumpet.

These musicians are no stranger to Bailey, who said he played numerous shows with Nashville Jazz Orchestra members, including trombone player Barry Green and founder/director Jim Williamson (a fellow trumpet player) as an Opryland musician back in the 1980s.

Burke is another Opryland alumna from that era. The Massachusetts native came to Nashville to sing in the park’s version of “Showboat.”

“Abby Burke is incredible, Mike Eldred is too,” Bailey said. “Abby, vocally she’s kind of a freak, the things she can cover; she’s like a gymnast. She’s extremely musical.”

Burke will perform a Peggy Lee-influenced version of “Come Rain or Come Shine” and “I’ve Got That Fascinating Rhythm,” a Gershwin medley. She and Eldred also will sing duets, including “Birth of the Blues” and “Bandstand Boogie” — a 1954 instrumental by Les and Larry Elgart that got a second life as the theme of “American Bandstand” with lyrics by Barry Manilow.

“I never knew in my life there were so many words in that song,” Burke joked by phone.

Burke’s first performance with the Nashville Symphony came as a last-minute replacement at a big band concert at Centennial Park. She last performed with the orchestra at the 2006 Ray Charles tribute at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

“Being asked to do this is like coming full circle,” she said.

“Nashville Swings!” will include Mike Eldred. Photo by Derrick Pierce

It’s also a chance to play homage to music that served as a soundtrack to her life.

Burke remembers her mother playing a song called “Bye-Bye Blues” every Saturday: at 9 months old, Burke reportedly sang the refrain and matched three pitches. Her mother’s excitement was only tempered when she realized her young daughter’s first words hadn’t been “mama.” Burke also recalls her uncle playing big band records and asking her to repeat the lines played by the saxes.

This personal history informs Burke’s approach to songs, as does an awareness of a song’s history and context.

Big band music is closely associated with the 1940s, wartime pride, acrobatic jitterbugging and even a certain sound. These things have become shorthand for music that is actually much more diverse — and covers a longer time span — than the big band label implies.

“Nashville Swings!” acknowledges the variety in the genre with selections from a wide array of composers and songwriters. The sweet, full sounds of Glenn Miller’s “Moonlight Serenade” open the program; Louis Prima’s energetic “Sing Sing Sing” closes the show. Along the way are iconic tunes by Cole Porter (“I’ve Got You Under My Skin”), Cab Calloway (“Minnie the Moocher”), George Gershwin along with later swing music by John Williams (music from the “Star Wars” cantina scene), Brian Setzer, Victor Vanacore and Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band.